Lee's Caped Neck Invader

Two brothers and their wives are doing the tourist thing in the Carpathians when them meet Father Sandor (Andrew Keir) at a tavern who warns them that when they go Carlsbad to avoid the castle. The next day when they take a carriage to Carlsbad the driver abandons them in the middle of nowhere, 2km from where they are going with the castle in the distance. Despite the warnings of Father Sandor the couples find themselves taken to the castle by a driverless carriage where they are welcomed as the guests of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) or at least Klove (Philip Latham) who has kept the castle running since his master died. But when they flee having become spooked and gone to the monastery the Prince of Darkness goes after them.

Watching "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" made me thing how not that different it is to some horror movies made now. Four friends, in this case two married couples, end up staying at a creepy castle they have been warned against, it isn't that much different too the teens getting lost in the woods and staying in an abandoned building, an old sanatorium. Of course "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" is not only set I presume around the Victorian era but also features the Prince of Darkness being brought back to like in a smoke filled casket but it is friends battling to survive.

Now I am being unfair because "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" is a hammer horror and so it has that Hammer, gothic feel to it but it is an acquired taste and trust me some of these Hammer movies do not date well. Thankfully "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" stars Christopher Lee who delivers a wonderfully ominous performance which makes what is quite an ordinary movie more interesting. The look as he raises his cape to engulf a woman is so perfect that even now it is one of the most terrifying scenes you will come across.

What this all boils down to is that "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" didn't really do it for me as whilst I love Christopher Lee's performance as Dracula the rest of the movie struggles to grab and keep hold of my attention.